Once Upon A Pirate Ship
by moosemoss
Summary: Instead of meeting Natsu and Happy at the beginning of her adventure, Lucy is saved by none other than the infamous pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy! (Changes have been made to accommodate the inclusion of Fairy Tail characters into the One Piece universe.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not the characters, not the universes, probably not even the general idea.  
This is the first story I've even attempted to write, so be gentle please! Enjoy!**

Lucy Heartfilia sat on the bench near the harbor and sighed, tipping her head back. She couldn't believe that everything was just so boring. There was absolutely nothing to do in this town. She looked at the clouds drifting across the summer sky as she imagined the adventure she set out to have, but hadn't come across yet.

"I was promised a famous pirate harbor, not some lazy RESORT TOWN!" she yelled at the sky, throwing her fists akimbo. A few of the passers-by froze wide-eyed at her outburst, and Lucy's face flushed bright red. She lowered her arms and rubbed the back of her head, bowing slightly in embarrassment. Getting over the shock, the commuters continued on their way, leaving Lucy to sit in silence. Not that silence was what she was looking for at all.

The minutes passed like days, and Lucy shut her eyes on the dull town surrounding her with another sigh. She didn't know how long she sat on that bench waiting, but finally, _finally_ , the newspaper bird fluttered down to perch on the bench next to her.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting forever!" she chided the animal.

The bird just turned its beak toward the clock tower, which clearly read three o'clock. Lucy's eyes followed in that direction and her jaw dropped.

"Seriously? It's only been that long? Of course you're on time," she muttered as she tucked some coins into the bird's bag.

"Bwaaak!"

"Sorry to imply otherwise."

The bird picked a newspaper out of its pouch and dumped it unceremoniously on Lucy's lap as it took off to its next delivery. Lucy just grinned as she watched it flap toward the open ocean.

"Silly bird," she said as her eyes followed its path until the sun's glare forced her to look away.

As she looked down at the newspaper in her lap, her grin widened and she flipped eagerly through the pages until she reached the newly released and updated bounty posters. Attached to each poster was the story of why the bounty was registered or increased and she quickly thumbed through the images until she found one the trouble-makers she was searching for.

"What did the idiots do this time?" she whispered.

Her grin stretched wider and wider as she read the report of the pirates' latest adventure.

 _The Strawhat Pirates, along with the Heart Pirates have once again wreaked havoc on Marine controlled territory…_

 _…five hundred million beli worth of damages done to the base and surrounding town…_

 _…Strawhat Luffy fingered as the reason for the region's recent food shortage…_

 _…Cat Thief Nami of the Strawhat Pirates spotted striking Bepo of the Heart Pirates repeatedly with lightning while screaming obscenities…_

 _...citizens have been obsessively listening to the Soul King's music since the event…_

 _…reportedly the notorious captain of the Heart Pirates, The Surgeon of Death: Trafalgar Law, was spotted wearing nothing but a pair of women's undergarments during the escape from…_

Lucy's shoulders shook from the effort of holding in her laughter, and tears were pushing at the corners of her eyes from her mirth. The tremors built until she couldn't hold it any more. Loud bursts of laughter tore from Lucy's throat, startling the people walking on the street again. This time she didn't feel any shame, though. She gathered the newspaper in a neat role and stood with another burst of giggles.

"These guys are the absolute best! They're always good for cheering me up!"

Lucy wandered through the harbor town looking for something worth doing with a new skip in her step. She didn't really feel like shopping or eating, as it wasn't anywhere near dinner time. She made it to an overlook on the mountainside with a view of the harbor and nearly the whole town, and looked out over the peaceful streets.

In the morning, Lucy packed all her, rather meager, belongings in her pack, Lucy checked out of the inn and made her way down the sloping town toward the harbor. She wasn't overly eager to go out to sea again, but her adventure wasn't shaping up to anything in this town.

"I'll be more careful this time," she murmured to herself as she walked. "Last time I didn't check all the information and ended up crossing the sea in a dinghy. That won't happen again. I'm never going to trust anybody else to book my boats for me. Ever."

Lucy's muttering dwindled until no sound was passing through her moving lips, and soon she found herself in sight of the docks. There were quite a few ships getting ready to set out, and Lucy thought that she might find one to take her somewhere interesting. The tide was almost ready to go out, so she had to hurry if she wanted to get out of this town.

She was so engrossed in looking for a suitable ship that she almost rammed into a group of squealing girls. Thankfully, she was jolted back to awareness by a particularly piercing shriek.

"SHAAAANKS!"

'Shanks?,' Lucy thought. 'Isn't he one of the Four Emperors? What would he be doing here?'

"His hair really is as red as fire!"

"The scar on his face makes him look so mature!"

"Even without his arm he's sexy!"

Through the crowd of girls who, quite literally, had hearts in their eyes, Lucy caught a glimpse of bright red hair and a strong jaw line. She hadn't seen many pictures of the Shanks, as he was legendarily elusive, but from what she knew the girls were describing him to a tee.

She wiggled her way to the front of the crowd and took in the sight of the famous pirate. A stray thought drifted across her mind before she focused entirely on the man in front of her. He was younger than she thought he'd be. Lucy wanted to speak to the celebrity, but didn't want to make enemies of every girl in the town. Obviously they wouldn't take kindly to someone standing out in front of their idol, and Shanks seemed to be eating up the attention. Lucy was sure she could catch his eye somehow, but not here.

She figured that since she was already near the docks, she'd just find his ship and wait until he was ready to set sail. If he wasn't leaving yet, she'd just go back and rent the room at the inn again. Plan in mind, Lucy was just about to step back and let the other girls fight for her spot in Shank's line of sight, but something jostled her from behind and she overbalanced. Pitching forward, Lucy threw out her hands and clenched her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

The next thing she knew, Lucy was blinking up at an outstretched hand. Brushing the dirt from the street off of her own hand, she took the one offered and was hoisted up and into the arms of a man. Surprised, Lucy startled and looked up into the face of her helper.

"Shanks!" she gasped. The red-haired pirate smirked down at Lucy.

"And what is your name, little kitten?" he asked with an elaborate bow and kiss to the back of her hand, sweeping his long coat behind him with a flourish. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she stuttered out her name. She honestly couldn't follow the rest of the conversation, but she thought that she somehow managed to nod and respond in the right places because she ended up with an invitation to a party that Shanks was hosting that evening on his ship.

Lucy spent the rest of the day floating in a dreamy haze. She drifted from place to place in the town, never really seeing where she was going or remembering where she had been. Her only thoughts were on the pirate with fire in his hair and adventure in his smile.

With a goofy look on her face, Lucy made her way eventually to the public baths to wash up and change before heading to Shanks' ship. As she soaked in the warm water, she couldn't help but to squeeze her eyes shut and grin as wide as she could. A tiny squeal escaped her as she thought of the possibilities the night could bring. She rushed through her ablutions and nearly ran to the dressing room in her excitement.

Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd been this flustered. She looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing imaginary wrinkles in the one dress she owned. A slinky little black number, the dress hugged her curves in all the right places and highlighted the blonde of her hair.

"Old habits die hard, I guess. I can't go to a party without looking my absolute best. At least I never felt the need to be completely ostentatious like father did."

Lucy strutted her way up the gangplank and onto Shanks' ship with all the confidence in the world. She looked good and she knew it. Looking around, she noticed there were plenty of other girls aboard the ship mingling with the crew and other guests. Silently judging them for their obvious need to impress each other with not-so-subtle comparisons of jewelry and designer clothes, she allowed a small smirk to form on her lips.

As she wandered around the deck, Lucy was reminded of the parties and galas thrown by the upper echelon she once inhabited. It was interesting, she thought, to attend a similar event without being in the spotlight. She almost laughed at the irony that she was the one in the cheapest dress and the least make up when her father used to parade her around like a prize pony.

Her amusement only increased when a member of the wait staff blatantly ignored her as he passed by with a tray full of champagne flutes. She snagged one anyway, to his consternation, and giggled as he huffed and glided over to a much more flashy group of women. Her mirth was cut short by surprise by a rough hand on her shoulder and a husky voice in her ear.

"Kitten! I'm glad you made it," Shanks murmured only centimeters from her ear.

"Of course I made it. You invited me after all."

A smile stretched across his face and his arm found its way around her waist.

"Why don't we go somewhere a little more private?" He started to steer her toward the entrance below decks and his private cabin.

"Don't you have to go entertain your fans?" Lucy asked. He only chuckled in response and tightened his grip on her hip.

"You're the only fan I care to entertain, kitten," he breathed.

Lucy blushed and allowed herself to be lead into the privacy behind the door he held open for her. He motioned for Lucy to make herself comfortable and he went into the next room to grab refreshments. Sighing, she sat on the couch and hoped that he was asking her to join his crew or something instead of aiming for _the one thing_ that guys are always after. She giggled to herself at the clichéd thought when he came back to the room with a bucket of ice and chilled wine. He smiled, and Lucy let Shanks think her mirth was because of his charm.

The truth was much worse.

Lucy knew there was something wrong the moment the red-haired pirate used his body to block her view as he poured the wine he offered her. She hadn't survived on her own the past few years by being naïve. She knew she was attractive, and her relative destitution guaranteed her presence in some of the seedier parts of various towns. The tricks of drugging unsuspecting women were not lost on the wily blonde.

She knew something was seriously wrong when Shanks' eyes narrowed dangerously as she refused the wine on the grounds of having had too much champagne on deck.

She knew she was in big trouble when he signaled to something behind her and a pair of rough looking hands grabbed her by the upper arms. She struggled against the tight hold, but only ended up earning herself a violent backhand to her cheek.

Lucy gasped and clenched her eyes shut against the sudden pain in her cheek and tilted sideways losing her already precarious balance in her heels, forcing her captor to take most of her weight. When she opened her eyes again, Lucy realized two things.

One: she was in deep shit. She never imagined that her adventure would involve being held against her will by one of the most notoriously strong pirates ever to sail.

Two: said pirate who held her against her will was most definitely not one of the most notoriously strong pirates ever to sail.

She watched as 'Shanks,' real name unknown, pulled his left arm out of the sling holding it across his stomach underneath his clothes. Her eyes grew wide and all the things that didn't fit suddenly clicked into place.

Why would Shanks be in this backwater town anyway?

Where was the rest of his famous crew? Yasopp? Beckman? Why would he be here alone?

He's too young.

'I should have _known_. Why didn't I realize? Why didn't I figure it out until it was too late?'

Fear drained the color from Lucy's cheeks as the cruel edge to the imposter's grin intensified. Pushing past the feeling, she gritted her teeth against the bruising grip on her upper arms. She didn't know what was going to happen to her, but she knew that she would fight it with everything she had left. She got her feet back under her and stood a little taller, narrowing her eyes at her captor. She still had a couple of tricks up her sleeve.

Seeing the new surge of determination in Lucy, the fake Shanks' hand flew out and grabbed her face. He dug his fingers into her cheeks, forcing her mouth open, and shoved a bitter powder onto her tongue with his other hand. Lucy tried to spit it out, but a hand on her cheeks relocated to her jaw and forced her head back and her mouth closed and she could feel the cold trickle of the drug as it slowly flowed down her throat, aided by the influx of saliva in her mouth.

Satisfied, the fake Shanks released Lucy and took a step back grinning. Lucy coughed and gagged, trying to expel some of the drug, but the powder's sedative effects were already working.

"That should keep you quiet, kitten," he laughed. "I didn't think you'd be quite so feisty. That was my mistake, I guess, but I had to get you to cooperate. I couldn't have you running out to tell those other girls about me, you see."

Already, Lucy could feel the drug clouding her mind and stealing her coordination. Her ankles weakened and her weight fell once again on the man standing behind her. Mortified, Lucy could only blink slowly as the image of the man in front of her came in and out of focus.

"This ship will set out tonight due for the market in Vista Village. Surely even you know what the main commodity is in that town."

Lucy could hardly form a coherent thought around the effects of the drug and the panic induced by his last statement. Her head lolled onto her shoulder and the will to fight dwindled in her eyes.

"Yes. I see that you do know. You and all of these other lovely ladies will be sold to the highest bidder once we reach Vista Village! Of course, I'll take the time to sample the wares before you're given to your new master." He ran a finger down the line of her jaw and tilted her head until he hovered over her face, his lips brushing against hers. "You did catch my eye, little kitten."

New tears ran down the tracks on her cheeks as Lucy was manhandled to the couch. Through the numbness of the drug, Lucy felt the man's hand groping up her let and under her dress as the other found its way into her hair and gripped the blonde locks tightly. The jolt of pain from her scalp pulled her partially out from the drug's influence.

Her tongue felt like lead in her mouth, but Lucy forced it to cooperate with her lips and throat to form words.

"Let…go of…me…you...CREEP," she growled. She blinked and shook her head in an effort to clear some of the cobwebs from her mind, but the drug was still strong in her system. She tried to kick out and buck him off but her muscles wouldn't listen to her.

The redhead only laughed and pushed her more firmly back against the cushions of the couch. His malicious smirk widened at the mix of fight and fear in her eyes.

She'd pushed too hard. Lucy couldn't do anything while she watched the vicious glint in his eyes grow sharper and his pupils dilated in obvious lust as his wandering hands gripped and groped across her body. She squeezed her eyes shut in a grimace as the slave trader's tongue licked up her cheek, tasting the tears there.

Fear and desperation warred in Lucy's mind until there was only one thought left.

'HELP ME!'

 **I do have the next chapter written, but I would like to know if anybody would like me to continue this story. Thanks for reading this far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or the universe they exist in.  
Sorry for the wait. I know I said that I had the second chapter written in my previous posting, but I had a new idea and had to do some really heavy editing to make it so I could incorporate it later. Without further ado, here's the second chapter!**

Lucy was growing desperate. She struggled weakly, but her mind was completely blank. Panic threw her mind into chaos. She could feel fake-Shank's hands and breath and even though she opened her mouth to scream, the sound died in her throat. What escaped instead was a sort of choking gasp that had the slaver grinning in triumph.

Seeing the glee in his eyes, Lucy felt the hope she held start to slip away.

"Soon you'll be screaming my name…"

She let his words wash over her in a vile wave.

"You've got the perfect body for this, you know…"

Each filthy sentence dragged her further into despair.

"I can just see you squirming under me…"

Her hope was fading fast.

"…under your new master…"

It was nothing more than a dying ember.

"Maybe I'll keep you…"

It flickered.

"The things I'd do to you…"

And died.

"You'll learn to enjoy this, kitten. When I'm through with you, you'll be begging fo—"

The man's monologue was cut off by a booming crash on the deck. He turned to his cronies and began to speak, but was once again interrupted.

"Go see what that wa—"

"SHAAAAAAAAAAAAANKS!"

"For the love o—"

"COME OUT, SHAAAANKS!"

"Just le—"

"SHANKS!"

"Shu—"

"SHAAAANKS!"

"L—"

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Fake-Shanks growled and pushed himself up off of the couch he'd pinned Lucy to, leaving her trembling and staring blankly at the ceiling. He glared in the general direction of the disembodied voice, which continued hollering as he turned his livid gaze to his followers.

"Take care of it. Now."

"Boss, what about the girls? We can't ju—"

"I said to take care of it! The last thing we need is for some _idiot_ to cause a ruckus and bring the Marines down on our business! Get rid of this nuisance!"

The thugs nodded and moved toward the door, but their motion was halted by the sudden cracking of the planks above their heads and the too-long leg following the falling lumber. The last thing they heard was the rambunctious yell of "GUM-GUM BATTLE AXE!"

Lucy's saw the splintered ceiling in her periphery and followed the trail of damage with her eyes until they reached the gaping hole. Dust was still rising from the area below the hole, and Lucy allowed her body to turn until she could see clearly. Well, as clearly as a drug-addled girl in shock could see.

Something about the man crouching on top of the pile of debris and henchmen looked familiar, but Lucy just couldn't put her finger on it. He had his left hand on his knee and his right was lifted to his head, as if holding something there and his face was angled down so she couldn't make out his features. She took in his attire of khaki shorts and a black t-shirt and all of a sudden she was overcome with confusion. There was some sort of disconnect in the image she was seeing.

'That's wrong,' Lucy thought. 'But why is it wrong? I don't know. I don't know him. But it's wrong.'

The intruder slowly straightened, letting his left hand come off of his knee. Every move looked deliberate, and Lucy saw everything as if in slow motion. His right hand ruffled his hair slightly before coming down across his face to rest by his side. She stared as the stranger lifted his head and his face was revealed from the shadows. A scar across his left cheek. Wide eyes. A face she'd seen a thousand times.

Monkey D. Luffy.

Her hope exploded into life.

Lucy stared wide-eyed at the infamous pirate across the room. She watched how his eyes took in everything with what began as excitement and swiftly became suspicion. His wide grin vanished as his lips tightened, and his eyes narrowed when they landed on her.

He took a step toward her, concern written on his face, but a flurry of motion from the corner distracted him. Luffy instantly focused his gaze on the man struggling to stand in the corner. Lucy followed his line of sight, turning her head quickly. Too quickly, she thought, as the room spun for a few seconds before settling.

Fake-Shanks used one of the walls to lever himself upright and turned to face the intruder, murder in his eyes.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are, coming onto my ship?" his deranged voice carried clearly through the cabin. "I hope you've had a good life so far, because you sure as hell aren't going to be around much longer!"

"You're not Shanks."

"No shit," the slaver replied, obviously not recognizing Luffy for who he was. A crazed grin spread across his face. "I'm more dangerous than that bastard."

Lucy watched incredulously as Luffy considered that statement for about half a second before bursting into laughter. He doubled over in mirth and his right hand slapped his knee hard enough to leave bright marks on the exposed skin. She saw tears gather in the corners of his eyes and his face turn red with breathlessness because of how hard he was laughing and decided right then that no matter how amusing it was to read about him in the paper, Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhat Pirates was most definitely not a person to get involved in. He was quite obviously insane.

She cast one more disbelieving look at the pirate captain before glancing at the slaver, which very nearly set her off in a fit of giggles. There was a muscle ticking in his jaw but his eyes were nearly bugging out of his head. It was the strangest mix of anger and confusion that she had ever seen, and it was hilarious. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, and she struggled to contain it.

'Maybe I'm a bit insane, too. I can barely move and I want to laugh at the guy who assaulted me not five minutes ago.'

As fake-Shank's face grew redder and redder and his shoulders began to shake with anger, Luffy drew in a deep breath with his hand over his chest. Tears of mirth were still shining in his eyes, but with that one breath his focus shifted completely to the slaver in front of him.

"You? More dangerous than Shanks?"

The pirate's usually friendly grin twisted into a sardonic smirk.

"There's no way."

With that statement, Luffy drew back his arm and delivered a punch directly to the slaver's jaw. Lucy cringed as a couple of teeth and spittle flew in her direction. The man collapsed in a loose pile of limbs next to spilled wine and a broken packet of powder.

Lucy struggled to push herself into a sitting position. Her arms shook and her head spun, but she managed to lever herself upright. She stared at her lap so the room wouldn't move quite so much, and soon she saw a pair of sandaled feet a couple of inches in front of her own shoes.

Moving slowly, she tilted her head up until she met the pirate's eyes with her own. He didn't say anything, simply stared at her. Lucy was suddenly aware of the dull pain in her face where the slaver had struck her. She tried to raise a hand to test the injury, but felt herself tipping sideways.

One of Luffy's hands shot out and gripped her shoulder to keep her upright.

"Whoa there! Have you had too much to drink? Who was that guy anyway? And who are those goons under that pile of rubble? Do you know why that super weak dude was dressed like Shanks? Hey, you don't look so good. You okay?"

Lucy could only gape as the questions flowed out of Luffy's mouth. She hoped he wasn't expecting answers from her because he hardly left space for his own breath between each inquiry. She felt her balance tilt and she leaned a little heavier on the arm he was using to keep her upright.

"No, seriously. Your eyes are wonky. The black bits are _huge_!"

She nearly burst out laughing because who doesn't know the word for pupils? Instead her mouth pulled into a wobbly smile and she blinked heavily.

"Y'r M'nky D L'ffy, are'nt'cha? I read 'bout you in da paper. Thans f'r sssavin' me from da asssshole 'ver there." She paused and grinned.

Y'r a piiirate." A small giggle escaped from her. "A piiiiiirate!"

Luffy gave her a look like she was crazy, which Lucy was sure he'd been on the receiving end of many times. She giggled again, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Piiiirate, pirrrrrate, piiiirrrrate!" Lucy tested the word in her mouth, lengthening the 'i' and rolling the 'r.' Her eyes crossed a little, making Luffy's face go out of focus. She just laughed a little more.

"Chopper! Get down here!"

Lucy looked past Luffy to see a fuzzy face beneath, (or is it above?), a bright pink hat poke down through the hole the captain had previously punched in the ceiling.

"Who's hurt? Who's she? Oh! She needs a doctor! Where's a doctor? WE NEED A DOCTOR!"

"Chopper, you're the doctor!"

"Right. I'm a doctor!"

Chopper started toward Lucy, but was interrupted by the girl herself launching her body at him with open arms.

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around the reindeer with enough force to drive the breath out of him. Chopper struggled in her grip, but couldn't get loose. Suddenly, Lucy found herself dragged into a half-standing position and her arms around a significantly larger object.

She looked up at the very not-cute version of the very cute animal she had hugged and pouted.

"Whyyyyy? I jussst wanna cuddle!" she said with nearly comical sadness, her eyes growing larger as her bottom lip stuck out.

Chopper just ignored her and turned to his captain. "She's been drugged, Luffy. Do you have a sample of what was used?"

Luffy shrugged and looked around blankly, but Lucy tugged on the reindeer's fur to get his attention.

"'S a powd'r. Th' asssshole sshov'd it down my thro't. Didn't eat m'ch, though," she said, somehow still managing to giggle while glaring at the prone form of the slaver on the floor. "There'ss sssome right th're."

Chopper maneuvered her back to the couch and laid her down gently before rushing to the slaver's side to grab the packet of the drug. He carefully opened the paper and dipped one finger in the substance before tasting it. He spat it back out after analyzing the taste and smiled up at Luffy.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said. "It's just a paralytic. It's not even long-lasting. The fact that she's moving a little and acting drunk right now just means that the amount of drug in her system is wearing off. In fact, with how much she ingested, she should be just fine in a few minutes."

"It seems worse than that, Chopper. She's acting really weird."

"Nope! It's the same stuff I use along with an anesthetic when I set broken bones. Of course, I'm more sophisticated with my delivery methods and can selectively paralyze parts of the body, but it's the same drug."

Lucy heard the information and sighed in relief. She knew the drug's effects were diminishing just because she was able to move, but she hadn't realized that her strange actions were a normal part of the process.

She could feel herself regaining her dexterity and mobility with every passing minute, but she had no idea where to go from here. She had to keep moving on to the next town, but with the capture of the slavers she knew she'd get caught up in the trial's proceedings. Lucy knew she had to somehow get out of town before anybody realized that she was a part of the incident. She flexed her hand and once again pushed herself into a sitting position. It was much easier this time around.

She saw Chopper and Luffy still talking to each other and glanced down at her heels. They would be a bear to walk in while still shaking off the drug's effects, so she started to slip them off her feet when a voice over a megaphone sounded through the air.

"THIS IS THE MARINE FORCE STATIONED HERE! WHOEVER CAUSED DAMAGE TO THIS PRIVATE VESSEL, PLEASE REVEAL YOURSELF PEACEFULLY! ALL THE PASSENGERS HAVE DEPARTED THE VESSEL! GIVE YOURSELF UP!"

"Luffy, you really shouldn't have punched all those holes in the deck."

"But I needed to find Shanks!"

"He wasn't even here! Let's just go back to the Thousand Sunny."

"Aye, aye!"

"You're the captain, Luffy!"

"Aye, aye!"

The two pirates ran toward the door and out onto the deck. Lucy followed more slowly, staying out of sight and desperately trying to think of a way to escape. She really couldn't afford to be detained by the Marines.

She inched forward with her back to the wall and peeked though the entrance. She could see Luffy and Chopper standing on the middle of the deck surrounded by Marine forces and she nearly panicked. There was no way she could possibly get out without being noticed. She pulled her head back and let it fall against the wall behind her. Lost in thought, she nearly didn't notice the pirate captain calling out to her.

"Hey, Blondie! You need a ride? Let's go!"

Lucy barely had time to register the words before an arm stretched out in front of her and latched itself to her wrist, tugging her back with it until she was forced to run out onto the deck. Luffy grinned at her and took Chopper's wrist the same way he had hers.

"Let's run!"

"But I—"

"Join my crew! You seem fun!"

"You don't even know me!"

"Doesn't matter!"

"What?"

Luffy didn't reply, and the next few minutes were a blur of streets and alleyways and Marine shouts echoing through the air as the pirates and Lucy led them on a merry chase. They left the voices behind and the next clear moment Lucy had, she was staring up at the figurehead of the Thousand Sunny.

She blinked, felt her stomach drop, and the next thing she knew she was standing on the deck, surrounded by some of the most infamous pirates in the Grand Line. She was aware of her jaw dropping and her eyes growing wide, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Lucy was surrounded by the people she admired most. She honestly didn't think she would care if she was buck naked at that moment.

Luffy just grinned that mischievous smile while the others, minus Chopper, looked slightly confused.

"Welcome to the crew."

 **I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this, but I'll try to keep it regular. I'm writing as I go from here on out, so maybe one chapter every week or so.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story! It's super encouraging to hear feedback and to know people are reading what I'm writing! Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey y'all! Thanks for all the new follows and favorites! I hope I can keep living up to your expectations. The plot doesn't really progress in this chapter, but it should pick up in the next one!  
Disclaimer is the same as before. I own none of these characters. I just wanted to play with them for a bit.**

Lucy gaped.

The crew's collective jaws dropped.

Chopper looked up at Lucy with sparkling eyes.

Luffy just kept grinning.

There were a few moments of silence before all hell broke loose.

It started with the loudest voice Lucy had ever heard exclaiming "SUUUPEEER!" What this was supposed to mean, she had no idea, but it seemed to be the cue for everyone to start moving. Luffy's grin got wider and he started detailing what had happened in town. Lucy could see the orange-haired woman shaking her head as she listened to the captain's story, and she turned toward the captain with every intention of asking what exactly was going on, but both her hands were grabbed in firm but gentle grips. Sanji had laid claim to her right hand while Brooke took hold of her left.

"Mellorine! My beautiful lady! What is your name? Would you permit this humble cook to prepare you a meal? I can promise the best for you, my dear!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, lovely lady! I could stare at your beauty every day happily! Or I would if I had eyes, yohohoho! May I see your panties?"

Lucy was too busy staring in shock at the blond with hearts in his eyes and the skeleton with an afro to register what they were actually saying. By the time their words caught up with her and she had the presence of mind to be offended, Zoro had come up behind the two and slammed their heads together. Angry red bumps formed immediately on their heads as they sank to the deck of the ship at Lucy's feet. Zoro glared at her, his eyes boring into hers and seeming to read much more than she would ever want on display. She nearly took a step back, but the swordsman huffed and turned away and stalked off to a different part of the ship, leaving Lucy more bewildered than before.

A small chuckle caught her attention and Lucy looked toward the sound.

"He likes you," said Nami, the source of the laugh.

"Didn't seem like it," Lucy replied, earning herself another laugh.

"Trust me. If he didn't like you, you'd know. Welcome to the family…"

"Lucy. My name's Lucy."

The navigator smiled and gave a jaunty wave before heading back to her cabin, hips swaying. She was followed by the exuberant captain who was recounting the day's events, arms waving in wild gesticulations. They disappeared into the cabin, leaving Lucy alone with three strangers. Lucy knew that even Chopper and Luffy were essentially strangers. They had only met that day, after all, but somehow being saved by them had shortened that distance.

Lucy sighed and looked around to observe the rest of the crew.

Robin had removed herself from the general madness surrounding the situation and had settled down in her usual deck chair to read. When she saw Lucy looking, she gave a small smile and a nod in welcome.

Franky was standing in his signature pose with a blinding smile on his face, his latest yell of "SUUUUPEEEERR!" being carried away by the light breeze. Lucy took in his large frame, the nearly painful loudness of his Hawaiian shirt, the metal parts interspersed with his own skin, and the distinct lack of pants. He was a pervert. Obviously. She gave a hesitant smile and turned to the next person.

Usopp thrust his chest out and ran his thumb under his nose in a very Bruce Lee-esque move before starting in on an obviously exaggerated account of one of his adventures. He was so involved in his story telling that he didn't notice when Lucy moved on, completely ignoring him.

Instead, she turned her attention to the ship's doctor.

"It looks like you're the only one with any sense here. Except Robin, but it doesn't seem like she wants to talk. And if I'm completely honest, she's a bit intimidating. And by a bit I mean a lot. So would you mind telling me what's happening?"

Lucy watched as the previously composed doctor practically melted into a swaying pile of goo with a goofy grin and one hoof stretched out in a 'stop' gesture.

"Compliments won't make me like you, you idiot!" Chopper exclaimed, eyes squeezed shut and rocking back and forth on his feet.

Lucy rolled her eyes, putting her whole body into the show of exasperation. Classifying her quest for common sense as hopeless, she slumped her shoulders and trudged toward the cabin. The background hum of Usopp waxing poetic about his heroic deeds stopped as she slipped through the door and shut it behind her.

Inside the main cabin, Lucy found Nami still listening to Luffy, who had somehow moved on from a play-by-play of the day's happenings to a rather childish attempt at convincing the navigator to move more of the ship's funds toward the purchasing of meat. Nami was, as expected, sitting like a queen with her legs crossed and head held high, studying a map and refusing any and all offers or platitudes from the captain. Luffy, for his part, was kneeling on the floor by her feet practically begging.

Lucy took in the scene with a resigned look in her eyes. She couldn't believe this was her life now. If somebody had told her a month, or even a week, ago that she would be essentially kidnapped into the Strawhat Pirate crew, she would have given them a 'Lucy Kick' straight to the most sensitive part of their anatomy and laughed.

After a particularly whiny sound escaped the captain's mouth, Nami rolled the map and swatted Luffy over the head with it.

"I said no, Luffy. You have enough meat already. If you want more just go fishing!"

"But it's not the same, Nami! I want meat! Meat! Not fish!"

"It's not my problem. Go away." She looked toward Lucy with a conspiratorial grin. "I think Zoro could use some company. Bother him."

Luffy considered it for a moment before smiling widely and bounding out the door toward his unsuspecting friend.

Lucy and Nami watched him go with twin smirks.

"So," Nami starts, looking at Lucy with a gentler smile than what had been on her face not seconds before. "I heard how you met Luffy. For all of his idiocy, he gets to the meat of a story pretty easily. Do you want to stay with us? I will say that if you decide not to, at least half of this crew will be pouting for a few weeks which will make my life miserable. I swear it's like herding cats."

Lucy considered her options. Option one: she could leave the pirates and try to find another way off the island, but that would be difficult, seeing as most of the marines probably knew her face by now and would under the assumption that she was allied with said pirates. Option two: she could stay with the pirates until they reach the next island and then find her own way. Option three: she could stay with the pirates indefinitely.

Option one was completely out after only a few seconds of deliberation, but between options two and three, option three was looking more and more appealing. Lucy knew that the easy acceptance that the Strawhat Pirates had shown her would be incredibly difficult to find anywhere else. She hummed thoughtfully and made her decision.

"I guess I'll stay with you guys. At least until we make it to the next island. I'll figure out what I want from there." Lucy was reluctant to sign her whole life away to these people, but she could tell that they would be the best friends she could possibly ask for. "Think of it as a trial period."

Nami laughed. "Sounds like you're my kind of girl. I look forward to sailing with you. Is there anything you want to know before we officially welcome you to the crew?"

"Officially welcome?"

"Yeah. New crew member and all that. Luffy likes to go overboard, so we'll have a huge celebration tomorrow. You'll get used to it. Eventually."

"Ah. Gotcha. I do have a couple things to ask."

"Shoot."

"Where are we headed next? I'd like to know to get a head start on planning."

"Good idea, but you've met our captain. There's no way to know where we'll end up next. We might start out in one direction but get distracted and end up going somewhere completely different." Nami sighed. "It's hell on my mapmaking."

Lucy groaned and sat heavily on the couch. She threw her head back and closed her eyes.

"You had other questions, right? Go ahead and get them out of the way."

"What am I expected to do on the ship? I mean, everyone has a job here, you know. You're the navigator, the perverted cyborg is the shipwright, the cute reindeer is the doctor, and that blond guy is the chef. What's my job? You guys don't know anything about me, and I don't really know much about sailing."

"You're right. We don't know you yet. So we won't expect anything of you until we find a place you fit," Nami answered. "Of course, if we need help or get attacked you'll be expected to pitch in. You are crew and not a guest."

"Okay. I wouldn't expect anything different. Last question. Where am I sleeping?" Lucy asked with such a serious face that Nami burst out laughing. "What?! It's a perfectly normal question! The guys on this ship are weird!"

Lucy huffed indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest as Nami bent over in her laughter and gasped in an effort to control it.

"Of course…you'll…be with…me and…Ro…bin! There's…no…way I'd…let…you…stay with…the boys!" the navigator managed between giggles. With a couple of deep breaths, Nami straightened and flopped on the sofa next to Lucy, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "I think we'll get along just fine, Lucy!"

The blonde girl looked over at the grinning navigator and returned her smile. "I think so too."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before the cabin door was flung open.

Lucy jumped in surprise, but Nami just turned calmly toward the intruder. Sanji spun toward the pair of women on the couch with hearts literally flying through the air in his wake. When he reached them, he went down on one knee and presented them with a platter of snacks in one hand and drinks in the other.

"My lovely Nami! And the beautiful Lucy! I have brought refreshments for your enjoyment. Don't hesitate to ask for more, ladies. And remember, I'll be there to save you if anything happens!"

Nami reached out and took the beverages, handing a still startled Lucy one of them. "Drink it. I can guarantee you'll enjoy it. Sanji pulls out all the stops for the girls on the ship."

"Of course I do, Nami my love! To serve beautiful women is the greatest pleasure I can find on this earth! And to think, another rose has bloomed on this ship. Ah!"

Lucy glanced between the amorous cook and the completely disinterested navigator before cracking a smile. "Thank you, Sanji. I'm sure we'll be fine with what you've brought."

Sanji stood elegantly and swooped into a bow before turning to leave the cabin. Before he could make it to the door an irate swordsman rushed through it.

"NAMI!"

Lucy watched as Sanji spun out of Zoro's way, using his momentum to lift a leg and slam it down toward Zoro's head. Zoro just lifted an arm to block the heavy blow and stomped toward the couch, where Nami was completely relaxed. Lucy figured that unexpected guests and interrupted conversations were the norm around here and vowed to work on her tendency to startle easily. She thought, staring at the clearly fuming swordsman coming toward her, that otherwise she'd have a heart attack and die a tragically early death.

"You uncultured marimo-head! Why are you here to harass the ladies?"

"Get out of my way curly-eyebrows! I have business with this witch!"

"And what witch is that, Zoro? I only see fairies here!"

The argument quickly devolved into flying legs and thankfully sheathed swords swinging. Nami rose to her feet, gesturing for Lucy to stay put, and walked calmly to where the two men were fighting. Slowly her fists rose and when the timing was perfect, the navigator brought them down heavily on the bickering pair's heads.

"Shut up! Both of you!"

"But Nami, he insulted you! He disparaged your heavenly beauty! I had to defend your honor!"

"I don't need you for that, thank you. Get out!"

"Nami. That idiot captain interrupted my nap. It's your fault. He said so. You sent him to me, you w—"

"OUT!" She yelled, pointing at the door.

Sanji pouted and slunk out of the cabin, dragging a thrashing and still complaining Zoro with him. Nami sighed and turned back to the Lucy, who was watching the orange-haired beauty with a newfound respect. Not that Lucy didn't respect Nami from the beginning, but it added a whole new dimension to see her take control of two of the strongest men sailing the Grand Line. She would gladly admit that she might be a little bit in awe of the navigator, and that she really hoped that they could be friends even if Lucy decided to leave in the end.

"Don't worry," Nami said. "They're always like that. No matter how scary they might seem, especially Zoro, they would never actually hurt a crewmate. They're harmless, really."

Lucy's eyes went a little wide as she realized that there might not be any sane person on this ship. Nami seemed the closest to normal, but anybody who could describe Black Leg Sanji and Pirate Hunter Zoro as _harmless_ had to be at least a little loony. She reevaluated her earlier thoughts. She was still in awe of the other girl, but Lucy thought that maybe she should hold back on the friendship thing for now. She tried to hide her new wariness by slurping down the rest of her drink, setting the empty glass down on the tray when she was finished.

"I'm pretty wiped out. In fact, I'm just about ready to pass out. Do you think one of the guys could run into town to grab my bag from the hotel before we set out?" Lucy tilted her head to the side and frowned a little. " When are we setting out anyway?"

"We're leaving tomorrow, weather permitting, and of course one of the guys can grab your stuff! I'll show you the women's quarters. Just follow me."

Lucy followed Nami further into the ship, making sure to memorize the path even though it wasn't a very long trip. They reached the women's room and Nami pointed her to a cot that was folded up in a corner.

"We weren't expecting a new crewmember, so it'll be a while before Franky can make you a bed, but that cot's pretty comfortable. Go ahead and sleep. Robin and I will try not to wake you when we turn in for the night."

"Thanks, Nami. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lucy examined the room when Nami shut the door behind her. It was pretty obvious what parts of the room were dedicated to the terrifying navigator and which parts were for the even more terrifying historian. Lucy sighed and made her way to the cot, carefully unfolding it and putting the pillow that had been squished in the middle at the head of the bed. Tossing her shoes under the cot, she laid down on top of the sheets. As she drifted, she realized that she was still in her black dress, but exhaustion was dragging her toward unconsciousness and she couldn't bring herself to care. The last thought she had before sleep claimed her was that Nami was right.

The cot was comfortable.

She didn't even stir when the other women turned in.

Setting out from port was weirdly anticlimactic, Lucy thought. There wasn't any sort of rushing around. There weren't any marines chasing them from the island. All in all, it was a pretty lazy morning. She had woken up to the sun coming through the window of the bedroom and the soft snuffles of Nami as she slept. Robin was awake long before Lucy, but for some reason the blonde couldn't imagine the raven-haired historian sleeping at all, even though the bed was evidence that she did.

When she went out on deck, Sanji presented her with her duffle of belongings, which she took with a "Thank you," and a smile. She quickly took the bag to a private room and rummaged through it until she found a simple t-shirt and skirt combination along with some sensible shoes. With a sigh of relief, she shucked the dress from the previous night and pulled on her new outfit. Shoving the dress in the bag, she left the bag where it was and went back outside.

She set about exploring the deck and seeing the morning routines of the crew. Lucy learned that Zoro basically owned a portion of the deck if only because of the various weights littering the wood surrounding the green-haired man as he swung at least ten times his own weight over his head. She stared at him until he paused to turn and glare at her.

Moving on, found Usopp with a screwdriver, muttering as he worked on some invention that looked entirely useless to her. He didn't notice when she paused in front of him, so she decided to leave him to it.

She glanced in a window to see Sanji dancing around the kitchen, stirring one pot and tossing the contents of another pan as it burst into flames. She took a moment to admire the man in his natural element without the ridiculous reactions women seemed to pull from him.

Eventually, Lucy wandered to the edge of the deck and stared out over the open ocean. She nearly didn't notice when Nami's voice carried out over the deck, setting the crew into motion. The sails were unfurled and the rigging fixed properly and the crew moved around each other like well oiled gears. It was a shock to see the competence of the sailors after their colorful displays of personality the night before.

The Thousand Sunny pulled out to sea and soon the island they left behind faded on the horizon. Miles of open ocean stretched out on all sides of the ship, and Lucy felt a sense of freedom she hadn't known could exist. The wind tossed her hair across her face and into her eyes, but she didn't care. A grin spread across her face and she breathed in the sea air with a reverence born from joy.

The day passed without any problems or mishaps, and Lucy got the full course of crazy that came with a bored Strawhat crew.

Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy sat on the edge of the ship with fishing poles cast and a bucket of bait next to them. Usopp was focused, Chopper was happily chatting at the sniper, not caring if he was listening or not, and Luffy was complaining. Loudly. It didn't seem to matter what about either. There wasn't enough meat on the snack that Snaji prepared. There weren't any bad guys he could punch into oblivion. The music Brooke played wasn't fun enough. He was BORED.

Lucy watched the captain throw tantrum after tantrum and delighted in each subsequent bump on the head he earned. By the third knock to the head, Lucy was laughing outright at Luffy's antics.

Zoro was napping. That seemed to be his default, though, so Lucy just let him be.

Franky was working on her bed and had demanded solitude for his woodworking. One of Luffy's early fits had been about that, but it was made very clear that nobody's presence would be tolerated in his workspace when Franky launched a 'Coup de Vent' at the captain.

Sanji flitted about the ship, complimenting the women and serving the crew various refreshments. He didn't prepare an afternoon meal, but instead had a steady stream of snacks ready throughout the day. When Lucy asked about it he just winked and said she'd need an empty stomach for the feast he had planned for the evening.

Brooke and his violin out and was playing various sea shanties to entertain everyone. Lucy learned that beneath the admittedly thick layer of pervert that surrounded the skeleton, there was an intelligent man who could hold decent conversations.

Nami sat and chatted with Lucy and Brooke as she kept an eye on their course. Whenever they drifted a little, she would correct the heading and return to her chair with a satisfied smile.

Robin was quietly reading, as usual.

All in all, Lucy decided that if this was life on the ship, she could easily be happy there.

And when the party started, and the 'chopstick in the nose' trick came out, Lucy realized that she already was happy there.

When she threw he head back and laughed with the crew over one of Usopp's tall tales, Lucy thanked whatever deity had led her to the Thousand Sunny.

When the evening wound down and the anchor was put into the water, Lucy knew that she'd found friends she would keep forever.

When everyone headed into the cabin for the night and she whispered, "Good night," to her bunkamtes and got equally quiet but sincere replies, Lucy thought that maybe she'd found something more than friendship.

Maybe she'd found a family.

 **Thanks for reading! Again, I'll try to update every week, but sometimes the creative juices just don't flow right.**

 **Reviews are very welcome. I would love to hear your feedback and/or criticism. Feel free to ask questions. I'll answer as well as I can without giving obnoxious spoilers for some of my bigger ideas.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey. I know I didn't get a chapter up last week and I apologize for that. My work schedule got shifted around and I wasn't able to get any writing done. Also, this chapter is shorter than my usual. I thought I'd be able to get to plot, but it didn't really happen. Sorry about that as well.**

 **To answer a few questions:  
The Fairy Tail cast will make appearances throughout the story, but I wasn't planning on them having major roles.  
Somebody asked about a ZoroxLucy pairing, and to be honest I hadn't really thought about whether I wanted to add a romantic relationship into this story. It's a possibility, but I wouldn't bet on it happening soon. If romance happens it'll be a slow burn.**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**

 **I own nothing.**

Lucy's first few days with the crew drifted by with almost nothing of note happening. There was that one time when Luffy fell off the boat and dragged Usopp with him, but apparently that's not an abnormality.

Sanji still flirted shamelessly, but Lucy grew to notice that he never actually did anything untoward. His compliments were pure appreciation. And while generally unwanted, they were always straightforward. In fact, Lucy thought she rather enjoyed being called beautiful and charming every day.

Chopper was steadily growing more wary of Lucy. She knew it was because of her random hug attacks, but he was just so cute! She couldn't help herself. They remained friends, but he was careful not to be in his small reindeer form when around her.

Zoro basically ignored her, except to glare in her general direction every once in a while. She quickly learned not to think anything of it because he glared at everyone.

Franky was definitely a pervert, but he wasn't all that bad to talk to. He kept to himself a lot; working on his projects and fixing whatever part of the ship Luffy broke on any given day.

Brooke was entertaining. He was fun to listen to no matter what he was doing. Despite the cringe-worthy status of his skeleton puns, Lucy always giggled. So sue her. Lucy knew that she loved puns. His music was fantastic as well. He could play almost anything that was put in front of him, and once she caught him tapping out a rhythm on the deck, finding the resonance of each plank and finding a tune.

Robin still intimidated her, but they'd talked a couple of times. Despite knowing exactly what the former assassin could do, Lucy found herself growing more and more comfortable with her fellow book lover.

Nami was, Lucy thought, probably the closest thing she would ever get to a sister. She teased ruthlessly, but never unfairly. Lucy was just happy that she hadn't had the misfortune of getting into the navigator's debt.

Usopp didn't really talk to her much except to try and impress her with obviously exaggerated stories. Most of them were so far-fetched that she doubted that any part of them were true. He was often up in the crow's nest, and Lucy had never really figured out how to climb the rigging, so they didn't see much of each other.

And Luffy. There really wasn't much to say about the captain. When Lucy found herself suddenly invited into the crew, she thought that would be a good example of the impulsiveness that he was famous for. But no. Apparently that was mild in comparison to his other decisions. Every single potentially scary thing on the ocean had to be investigated. Every ship that they sighted, whether it was pirate, marine, or civilian, had to be explored. And every single inkling of an adventure had Luffy grabbing at least two of his crewmembers, usually the ones in the closes proximity, and whisking them off to check it out.

The first time she was the victim of his impulsiveness Lucy was leaning on the railing sipping a blue fruity concoction that Sanji had dropped in her hands, watching the waves roll on the surface of the ocean and enjoying a quiet afternoon. So far, the day had been completely uneventful and Lucy was perfectly content to keep it that way.

She was so mesmerized by the waves that when she found herself without the deck beneath her feet and wind suddenly whipping her hair in her face she was too shocked to even scream. The ocean sped by beneath her, and the arm around her waist squeezed tight enough that she was having trouble breathing. Well, it was probably a combination of shock and the appendage digging into her diaphragm. Either way, Lucy was freaking out.

When Luffy and Lucy finally landed on a jut of rock sticking out of the ocean, which was by no means interesting in any way and Lucy couldn't figure out what the captain was doing by coming here, the blonde was able to catch her breath. She stood up straight and slowly turned in a circle, taking in the small hunk of rock she and Luffy were now standing on. When she had completed a full circle she tilted her head, confused. She spun around again faster than the first time.

There was nothing there.

Lucy stared blankly at Luffy, who was grinning like he'd found the largest pile of meat he'd ever seen, for about five seconds before bursting into speech.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?!" she yelled. "We could have died! What if you missed this stupid rock? Where would we be then, huh? You'd be drowning and I wouldn't be far behind!" She punctuated each exclamation with a finger jabbing into the captain's chest. "You didn't even stop to think about what could happen, did you? No! You just jump and damn the consequences! You could have decided to explore this _very exciting_ rock by yourself, but you didn't! You just had to drag me along with you!"

She was driving Luffy back step by step until he was on the ledge of the rock, with open ocean behind him.

"Now get us back to the Sunny."

"But we just got here, Lucy! We should look around first!"

"We can literally see the extent of this stupid thing from where we are right now. Get us back to the ship!"

With the shock worn off and the heated anger dying down into a slow burn, Lucy stared at her captain with the look of someone who had dealt with his shenanigans for much longer than she had. She could see the brilliance of Luffy's smile dull and his eyes drop to the ground with every second she stared at him. Normally, she would feel guilty for making someone's happiness diminish, but at that moment Lucy couldn't bring herself to care.

She sighed.

"Look. Just take us back. I'll explore with you next time." Luffy's smile erupted back into blinding elation.

Her scream of, "As long as you tell me first!" was lost to the wind as the captain launched them both back to the Thousand Sunny.

When they landed on the deck the pair was greeted with the sort of nonchalance that spoke to the frequency of this kind of escapade. Chopper was the only one who seemed interested in what happened while they were out, and he practically jittered in his eagerness to ask. When he did, the questions seemed to explode from his mouth without his permission.

"Where were you? Was it cool? I bet it was cool!" There were sparkles in his eyes, and Luffy smiled back with a childlike intensity.

Lucy could see the explanation bubbling in the captain's mind, and her anger flared back to the forefront. Before he could get a word out though, she drew he fist back and delivered a punch that knocked him to the deck.

"That was for interrupting me."

When he stood up she punched him again, putting him right back down.

"That was for spilling my drink." She scowled at Luffy, who was holding his reddening cheek with one hand and leaning back on the other.

Chopper looked back and forth between the two with no small amount of confusion.

"So where—"

"It was a _rock_ ," Lucy growled before she turned her back on the first two pirates she met and stalked off to her cabin.

She stayed there for the rest of the day, browsing books from Robin's shelf, many of which looked fascinating. Lucy pulled six tomes down that looked particularly interesting and stacked them on her desk. She started with the one on top. She was so engrossed in _The History of the Edolas Empire_ that she nearly forgot to eat dinner. Her anger from earlier was completely dissipated.

In her rush to return to the book, she practically inhaled the food Sanji had prepared in order to get back to the book.

After hours of making her way through the thick chapters in the even thicker book, Lucy ended up fast asleep slumped over her desk with her face planted in the historical account.

 **I'll try to get back on schedule of a chapter per week from now on.  
Feel free to ask questions! Reviews are welcome and appreciated.**


	5. Hiatus

**Hey guys.**

 **I promise that I am not abandoning this story. There's been some upheaval in my life these past couple weeks, and it'll probably take a while to resolve.**

 **Where I work is going out of business. Lovely thing, that. So during liquidation, they've given me 10+ extra hours a week. On top of that, one of my coworkers just lost a family member, so they're spreading her shifts between the rest of us.**

 **The time that I would have spent writing is now used searching for a new job or just being tired.**

 **So I apologize for the hiatus, and I'll get back to writing as soon as I can.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I'm back! First things first, this chapter is a little short. Kind of like the last one I put up. I'm just getting back into the swing of writing again. My life has settled since last you heard from me, so I should be able to do regular updates. Should being the key word.  
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Despite having a break, none of the characters or worlds or anything have magically ended up in my possession. Bummer.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

The trouble started with a bang.

Literally.

Lucy startled awake to the sound of cannon fire. Her books and papers scattered across the desk and the floor with her sudden motion. The ship rocked violently, making her stumble as she jumped to her feet. She could hear the muffled sounds of Luffy's laughter and Nami's yelling from the deck mingled with the crashing sounds of a fight. She made her way toward the deck, her hand trailing on the wall for balance. The hallway seemed so much longer with the Sunny's rocking and the crashes of battle above.

Of course it wasn't enough that the rest of the crew were morning people. They just had to be morning people who had raging battles before a decent hour. It wasn't that Lucy didn't like mornings, it was just that she tended to get wrapped up in things in the evening. Like a good book that she absolutely could not bring herself to put down.

When she finally reached the entryway, she hesitated. Her sleep-induced bravado faded and she tapped her bare feet on the floor. Lucy knew she wasn't super strong. Sure, she could beat down any guy who got a little too frisky, but she'd never been in a real fight before. And even if she wasn't weak, there was no way she was on the same level as Luffy and his crew. She would only get in the way. There really wasn't anything she could do to help. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob.

Taking a few deep breaths, she steadied herself. Yes, she was weak. Yes, she would likely be unable to contribute physically. But maybe she could help with something else. She didn't know what she would do, but her resolve to help _somehow_ strengthened with every second.

"I can totally do this," she murmured, before taking one more gulp of air and throwing the door open.

Chaos. That's what it was. Lucy had about two seconds to take in the randomly sprouting arms, the flash of weapons, and Luffy's maniacal grin before her vision was completely taken over by a large scaly head. Bright red eyes stared at her through the sockets as it opened its mouth and spewed a large column of flame in her direction.

The door slammed shut, smoke sneaking through the cracks around the frame.

"Nope." Lucy shook her head wildly, her back pressed against the, thankfully fireproofed, door.

"This is not happening." Her eyes were shut as she slid down to the floor.

"A dragon." From outside on the deck a deep roar echoed. "There's a dragon on the deck."

She hung her head between her knees and sighed heavily.

"My crew is fighting a dragon."

There was a pause of almost silence from beyond the door before something slammed into the door from the other side. Lucy jumped to her feet in a panic, but shoved down the fear with a stubborn unwillingness to believe.

"There can't seriously be a freaking DRAGON on this ship!"

With that said, she threw open the door and marched smack into the middle of the fight. Some part of her was aware of the sheer recklessness of this action, but that part was smashed beneath her denial. Lucy could not accept this degree of ridiculousness. Dragons weren't even supposed to exist! Not traditional ones anyway. She'd read about some that had feathers and something about a thousand year cycle, but the dragon currently spitting fire at her friends was most definitely not one of those.

Red and bronze scales shimmered in the heat of the flames and blood-red eyes burned with a ferocity Lucy didn't believe existed outside of written books. The intensity of the beast was overwhelming. Long claws carved deep gouges in the wood of the deck, drawing wails and curses from Franky. The sun shone through the thin membrane of the wings that were outstretched for balance and the occasional swipe to deter attacks.

Usopp was firing random projectiles at the dragon with no apparent effect.

Robin was trying to immobilize it, but her extra limbs weren't strong enough.

Nami's attacks were hampered because of the heat the beast emitted.

Brooke's ice melted.

And Luffy had that look in his eye like he wanted to adopt the damn thing.

Lucy was done. She couldn't handle this.

She strode forward glaring at the dragon.

Nobody noticed her at first, but every person she passed by stopped whatever they were doing and just stared. There were no attempts to stop her. The air seemed to still and the whole atmosphere on the deck abruptly changed in her wake. The fire in her eyes was nearly as hot as the dragon's breath.

As the fighting dwindled, the blasts of flame from the beast grew less frequent. To Lucy, it seemed as though time slowed so that each step spanned an hour instead of mere seconds as she waited for the dragon to notice her. Eventually the great beast swung his head around and his line of vision caught her. In any other situation Lucy might have found it hilarious how the dragon did a double take. As it was, she just glared.

Time sped up again as the dragon opened its mouth and Lucy could see the bright light of fire building in its throat. And she was not having it. Putting her hands on her hips, she stood her ground. Her feet were still bare, her hair was a mess, and she hadn't put on any decent clothes. But none of that mattered when all she could think of was putting an end to this insanity.

"NO."

The one word she spoke killed the flames growing in the dragon's mouth. The remaining noises of battle died. Everything stilled.

Lucy cocked her head to the side as she regarded the fiery beast.

"You are not going to destroy this ship. You are not going to attack this crew. _You_ are not even supposed to _exist_!"

The dragon looked cowed by Lucy's tirade, and she felt a tinge of amusement as she took in its wide and confused eyes. With one hand in a fist on her hip and the other pointing at the beast, she started toward it.

"I don't know why you're here. I don't know where you came from. But I will not stand here and watch you destroy my home!"

Each word was punctuated with another step forward and a ferocious jab of her finger. She didn't even notice the dragon shrinking in size until she found herself face to face with a man, her index finger digging into his chest. His eyes were wide and his pink hair stood in unruly spikes around his face. The scarf around his neck and the vest over his shoulders did nothing to hide the well-toned muscles of his chest and abdomen. Which she was currently touching. Oh, gosh.

Lucy jumped back with a shocked yell.

"What in the—WHAT!?"

She took another step back. Or she would have, if she hadn't tripped on some debris from the battle. As she tipped back, she saw the stranger start forward as if trying to catch her, but his movement stopped. She briefly wondered why, but soon felt at least three pairs of hands catching her and keeping her upright. She almost grinned, but one pair drifted to a decidedly inappropriate place and she immediately growled.

"Sanji. Don't."

The unwanted touch disappeared instantly with the accompanying, "Don't what, my beautiful rose? I was merely making sure you were uninjured."

Lucy heard a thump behind her and didn't need to turn around to know that Nami had whacked the errant cook over the head soundly. Instead she narrowed her eyes at the strange pink haired man in front of her. She glanced to either side, seeing her captain and everyone else flanking her. Even with a growing bump on his head, Sanji managed to be intimidating. With her comrades at her side, she felt stronger than before.

"Now," she addressed the stranger. "Who are you?"

 **To Be Continued! Oh my gosh I'm so happy to be writing this again. As always, reviews are gifts! I love them all. Ask me anything and I'll try to answer without giving major spoilers for my plot.**

 **Thanks for bearing with me during the (longer than expected) hiatus!**


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